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I am a wedding designer, and proud of it. In fact it is my true passion in this world of wedding planning. I adore the puzzle of linens, centerpieces, furniture, colors, and floor plans that makes a wedding come to life. I am known for having a vision, or a directed path when designing a wedding, but I am always tweaking, researching, experimenting to really make the design as perfect as it can be. The opportunity for me to attend a lecture by my wedding designer/planner icon, Tara Geurard, came about. I don’t think I could have jumped in my car faster on the day of the lecture. Still, it was one of the best days of my career, and for many reasons. The main reason that this day, this lecture was the best is because it ignited inspiration in me.

Before Pinterest there was imagination in creating wedding designs. There was creativity in deciding the centerpieces and place cards. Since Pinterest my wedding world had become a world of “replicate this lanterns, with this greenery, and these favors.” Personalization was falling away and replication was taking its place. After listening to Tara, and hearing about her creative process, I was asking myself “why am I letting Pinterest dictate my talent? Why shouldn’t I let Pinterest turn off my creativity and imagination?” So away I went to sketch, build, and spray paint. In a matter of just 24 hours I had 5 designs in my head. Over the next 5 months I tweaked, twisted, defined, and edited these designs. on August 22, 2017 I saw them finally come to life.

On August 22nd a bandwagon of vendors came together, and made my wedding designs, my ideas come to life. Now it wasn’t easy, and it came with challenges, but in the end I was proud of all the work and effort. I was extremely proud and thankful for my family and friends who sweated and paid a physical price for me and my creativity. I could not have done all this with out you! I couldn’t have asked for better colleagues who joined in, and gladly tried to make the design in my head come to life. Many times I was asked “do you have a photo of this idea, or a point of reference?” I would smile and simply say “nope, its in my head!”

I’m not a simply designer, I’m not a cookie cutter planner. I am a “go big or go home” person. So, I was determined to produce all 5 designs, photograph them, and break it all down in one day. Thanks to the Kincaid House in Clinton, TN and its coordinator Melissa Charles, we were able to do it! The Kincaid House’s property allowed me to set-up all the designs in different areas but still in the same location.

Here is just a taste of the different designs. I will blog about each individual one later. There is too much to say about each design. The designs were created from a love of home improvement; the life of broke newlyweds; the infatuation of the blush color; the hospitality and trends of southern women; the celebration of family; and the styles of bold classic fashion.

I want to especially thank Samuel Franklin Florist. Sam and his staff have been an amazing team to work with. Sam is my go to, see it through, no idea is too crazy guy. He has been such a support thru my whole career, and continues to be my main man. Sherri and his crew go above and beyond any of my requests. They were out in the heat helping set-up chairs, moving props, and doing anything I asked of them. I can’t say thank you enough to Sam and his amazing crew!

If you are interested in more about this photo shoot; more wedding design; how your wedding can be personalized, or how we can help you in anyway with your wedding event go over to livelaughloveweddings.com. I would be happy to your wedding memorable to you and to your guests!

A bride’s skin is often one of her biggest worries on the big day. The way to help ensure that you have the best chance of having clean and healthy skin on your wedding day is to follow these tips:

We recommend seeing an Esthetician several months before your big day; our team of makeup artists at Southern Sirens are all licensed Estheticians. An Esthetician is different from a cosmetologist in that they give advice on how to properly care for your skin. They can help you pick out products that are right for your skin type, and areas of concern. Here is a basic skin regimen that we recommend. First off, we love Dermologica products; they are great products that produce results.

How-to be a Glowing Bride:

1. Wash your face twotimes a day(once in the morning, once at night) with your chosen facial wash. Why twice? Once is to remove oil,dirt, and makeup. The second time is to actually clean your face. Rinse with warm water.

2. Use a facial scrub two to three times a week; scrub your face gently with the pads of your fingers for one minute if you have normal to dry skin; if you have oily-type skin, scrub for an additional minute. Rinse with warm water.This step helps to remove dead skin cell.

3. Use a facial mask once a week. Leave on your skin for three to five minutes. Using a mask helps rejuvenate your skin, adding any depleted vitamins and nutrients. Rinse with warm water. Here is an easy facial mask that you can make at home:

4. Twice a day (once in the morning, once at night)spray your face with a toner to help even out the pH levels in your skin as well as to help your moisturizers go on better.

5. Twice a day (once in the morning, once at night) apply a pea size amount of moisturizer to your face and neck in an upward motion. You apply in an upward motion to help lift skin. Applying in a downward motion can pull your skin down and cause wrinkles over time. Ladies, if you want to look young in old age, treat your skin with respect: do not go outside with moisturizer, make sure it has at least an SPF of 15!

If you get on a good skin regimine, you should begin seeing results in two to four weeks. The earlier you start, the earlier your regimine can be adjusted if need be to help you have the best skin possible for your big day. The Dermologica products featured here can be bought from Dermologica’s website or you can visit the Tennessee School of Beauty’s Skin Care Center.

Make up artist Amanda McKnight with Southern Sirens, has given us another beautiful look for brides:

Soft and Pretty

“Soft and Pretty” is the perfect to show off your natural beauty; this look enhances your best features and gives you an extra “pop” to make you a blushing bride for either a day or evening wedding.

Start this look with an eyeshadow in either a pastel or neutral color, you can pair this with a medium brown or gray eyeliner that helps give your ‘baby blues’ definition without being too harsh; smudging the eyeliner right above the lashes also helps to soften the line. Finish your lashes with a black mascara, or if you’re wanting something different, try a dark brown or a navy blue mascara.

For the lips go with a soft color, like a peach, nude, or light pink. You can finish this look with a neutral cream blush to highlight and define your cheekbones. Cream blushes provide a natural look and a nice healthy glow, perfect for a beautiful bride.